as ktvu kay lam campbell reporting from our washington, d.c. newsroom americans are not optimistic. >> reporter: december is usually a time when most of us feel pretty good about the economy thanks to the holiday shopping season. but that was not the case this month. consumer confidence took a nose dive and economists blame the fear of falling over the fiscal cliff. the consumer confidence index hit a four year high in october but saw the largest drop since last summer when the country's credit rating was lowered. it's a sign of what is to come if no fiscal cliff deal is reached and automatic income tax increases and government spending cuts go into effect in four days. meanwhile the president called a top four congressional leaders to meet with them at the white house later today with the hopes they can avoid this potential crisis. and in a somewhat surprising move top republican signaled he might be willing to compromise more on that when i see you next. >>> only on 2 in the north bay search teams are using a new technology to try to find a m